Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul. Russia is ready for “serious negotiations without preconditions” and proposes “to start them as early as next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul”, the Russian president told journalists in the Kremlin on Sunday. Ukraine and its European supporters Germany, France, Great Britain and Poland had previously called on Russia to implement a 30-day unconditional ceasefire from Monday.
The Russian President did not directly mention the call by the four heads of state and government in his remarks, which were made in the middle of the night at 1.00 a.m. (local time, 0.00 a.m. CEST). “We propose to the Kiev authorities to resume the talks that were broken off in 2022 and, I would like to emphasize, without preconditions,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader also said that he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming hours. According to him, the talks should aim to “eliminate the deep causes of the conflict and achieve lasting peace”. However, he also said that Russia “does not rule out that we can agree on a new ceasefire in these talks”.
A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia in Ukraine had previously come to an end. Putin had unilaterally ordered a three-day ceasefire, which came into force at midnight on Thursday night, in view of the commemorations marking the end of the Second World War in Moscow. Ukraine did not agree to the ceasefire and is demanding a 30-day ceasefire. A proposal from the USA also provides for a 30-day ceasefire.
If Moscow does not agree to the demand, there will be new sanctions, said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) during the joint visit to Kiev with French head of state Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish head of government Donald Tusk. The four European heads of state and government had traveled to Kiev by train and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin accused the Europeans of taking a confrontational stance, but at least wanted to examine the proposal.
Russian state media reported, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, that the Kremlin wanted to “think about” the demand put forward by Kiev's Western allies. Peskov commented on the “new development” on the US television channel CNN, but also pointed out that it was ‘pointless’ to “put pressure” on Moscow. Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have had to flee their homes.
Putin justifies the military operation in the neighbouring country with the intention to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine, among other things. Russia also wants to protect the Russian-speaking areas in the east of the country and defend itself against a possible NATO expansion. Kiev and the West, on the other hand, accuse Putin of "imperial ambitions".
Nato member Turkey, meanwhile, has repeatedly put itself forward as a mediator between Moscow and Kiev. Shortly after the start of the Russian offensive, Ankara attempted to organize direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine twice in March 2022. Negotiators from both countries held direct talks in Istanbul in the first weeks of the conflict. However, they were unable to agree on a cessation of hostilities, which have been ongoing ever since
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